Wine industry converge to plan for the future

This
week more than 500 grape growers, winemakers, and industry
leaders will converge in Blenheim to attend the annual New
Zealand Winegrowers Romeo Bragato National Conference.

“There is an air of optimism in the wine industry, and
the conference theme ‘new horizons’ reflects this. The
conference will identify current challenges, explore future
opportunities and help arm the industry with the knowledge
and skills to take us to the next level” said New Zealand
Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan.

The conference theme
will be addressed in keynote speeches, including the Bragato
Address by Kym Anderson, Professor of Economics from
University of Adelaide and Australian National University.
Celebrated author and New Zealander of the Year 2010, Sir
Ray Avery, will be speaking about ‘customer centric
business strategies for the wine industry’ to inspire the
sector to forge a profitable and sustainable path
forward.

The conference programme includes technical
sessions focused on quality and sustainable grape and wine
production, marketing workshops, and discussions around the
latest advocacy issues. The conference also features the
only wine awards acknowledging the grape grower – the
Romeo Bragato Wine Awards. Trophy winners of this
competition will be announced at the Bragato Dinner on
Thursday, 28 August.

The Romeo Bragato conference is
named after one of the early pioneers of the industry. The
conference will be held in Blenheim at the Marlborough
Convention Centre from 27-29 August.

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